Tempers flared in the Flow National Basketball League (NBL) best-of-three semi-final play-off game between Urban Knights and St George's Slayers on Tuesday night.

The tempestuous affair culminated in a player from Slayers ejected for alleged verbal abuse of an official, and subsequent abandonment of the game by the team at the Stadium Courts. The game came to an abrupt end with the Knights up by 22 points (60-38), with 5:36 seconds left in the third quarter.

The issue arose when FIBA-certified referee Ricardo Hayles threw out Slayers veteran player Paul Oliphant for verbal abuse, objecting to a blocking foul called on his teammate Troy Constantine. When Oliphant was ejected, other players from the Slayers erupted and a number of them left the bench, protesting the call before refusing to continue.

Coach of Slayers, Rohan Robinson, was irate after the game, and demanded the NBL prevent the referee from officiating at their future games.

"The spectators came here to watch the players play and not the officials, we can't say anything to these officials. I'm the coach and I can't even say anything to them, or they tell us to shut up," Robinson said.

Urban Knights progressed 2-1 in the series and will meet two-time defending champions, Tivoli Wizards, in the final, in a best-of-three series that begins this Saturday at the Stadium Courts, starting at 7 p.m.

Tivoli swept their semi-final best-of-three series 2-0, defeating the Running Rebels. Slayers were actually fighting a losing battle in Tuesday night's encounter as they trailed by 18 points, (52-34) by half-time. Knight's shooting guard Andre Murray was on fire with 20 points from 2 ¹/2 quarters, while, Noel Wright had scored eight points for the Slayers.

Kevin Alexander, the assistant coach and vice-president of Urban Knights said it was an unfortunate way to end the game.

"They were down by 22 points, and I thought it affected them, some of their players were getting heated."